The present invention concerns to a disinfectant for teats of animals, and a method for improving microorganism-environment harmful for animals.
The disinfection of teats of milking animals, in particular dairy cattle is a most important one of measures for prevention of mastitis. One disinfectant for teats has been developed in UK by Odd et al. in 1952, and has been since used in many countries. In Japan, such disinfectant has been used as a government project for improvement of milk quality since approximately 1975, which is at the present time employed in about 40% of Japanese total dairy cattle.
The method for disinfection of teats of milking cattle that is commonly carried out, includes dipping teats in medical fluid containing such disinfectant as described above to pasteurize or sterilize mastitis-causing bacteria deposited onto the surface of teat skin (namely, post-dipping), and employing wetting agent to improve the status of teat skin such as cracks, whereby inhibiting the growth of bacterium on the surface of teat and preventing mastitis. A number of such disinfecting preparations are currently sold in the market.
However, in the investigation accomplished by the National Institute for Research in Dairying in USA, it is reported that although new infection are decreased by 50% during the period of 12 months in milking cattle population which undergo post-dipping, such decrease of infection is only 14% in a group of cattle which have already infected, and thus subclinical infection by pre-existing mastitis-causing bacteria is likely to be sustained. Namely, although the post-dipping treatment decreases the rate of fresh infection, it is unable to be expected that preventive effects against mastitis-causing bacteria for what is called environmental mastitis is obtained.
The word xe2x80x9cenvironmental mastitisxe2x80x9d is meant by mastitis which is developed with occasion or the like in that mastitis-causing bacterium which has deposited onto teat skin and migrated to teat tip penetrates into teat cistern through teat orifice, based on counter flow phenomenon of milk which may occur during milking by milker. The duration of pasteurizative effect is relatively short (for example, 1-2 hours after dipping), and such effect disappears up to next milking, with pasteurization after milking i.e. post-dipping alone, and therefore, the effect for environmental mastitis-causing bacterium is limited.
As described above, in said post-dipping treatment, there are problems that it is unable to expect effect against infection from pre-existing bacterium and that effect against the environmental mastitis is also limited. Technology proposed in order to overcome such prior problems is a treatment for pasteurizing or sterilizing teats before milking (pre-dipping method). It was reported by Nakagawa, Furukawa and Nakajima that Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus were significantly less inhabited and milk quality was maintained more healthily in a farm in which pre-dipping was carried out, compared to one in which washing by towel was carried out, and thus pre-dipping treatment was thought to be effective.
As such, there is a literature disclosed that the dip pasteurization of teats before milking (hereafter, refers to pre-dipping) is effective for prevention from mastitis. However, since the pre-dipping is a treatment before milking, certain problem occurs that when the post-dipping agent is used as pre-dipping agent, it has high viscosity, iodine contained therein adheres to teats for any length of time, whereby iodine migrates into milk and retains in milk stocks. Therefore, it was shown that such agent adhered to teats after pre-dipping needs to be sufficiently removed.
Accordingly, there are needed a development of low or less iodine containing products which have low after-effectiveness (viscosity). The post-dipping agent and pre-dipping agent should be products which meet the respective demand, respectively. However, there is yet obtained no suitable product which can be employed as pre-dipping agent in Japan.
Therefore, since development of mastitis is a serious problem for dairy farmers, it may be thought that there are problems such as use of the post-dipping agent as pre-dipping, use of the post-dipping agent departing from the indication of animal medicine, migration of iodine into milk and the like. In order to settle these problems, appearance of disinfectant for teats which can be effectively as pre-dipping agent, is desired.
The following bacteria of the genus Brachybacterium are currently known.
Brachybacterium conglomeratum 
Brachybacterium faecium 
Brachybacterium nesterenkovii 
Brachybacterium paraconglomeratum 
Brachybacterium rhamnosum 
However, absolutely no investigation has been done about the industrial applicability of these bacteria of the genus Brachybacterium. 
Therefore, the inventors of the present invention made investigations about the genus Brachybacterium. As a result, it has been found that Brachybacterium species have an anti-microbial activity against Staphylococcus aureus of mastitis-causing bacteria.
Based on this finding, it is an object of the invention to provide a method for a disinfectant for teats of animals, and a method for improving microorganism-environment harmful for animals including the said Brachybacterium species.
The disinfectant for teats of animals of this invention is characterized in that it comprises a microorganism belonging to the genus Brachybacterium. 
The said microorganism belonging to the genus Brachybacterium is preferable to use a novel microorganism having the following bacteriological properties.
In addition, a method for improving microorganism-environment harmful for animals of the invention is characterized in that it comprises spraying a microorganism belonging to the genus Brachybacterium in surroundings where animals live.
Further, a method for improving microorganism-environment harmful for animals of the invention is characterized in that it comprises immobilizing a microorganism belonging to the genus Brachybacterium to a veil for covering an animal, formed by a cloth or paper and coating the animal by the said veil.
Furthermore, a method for improving microorganism-environment harmful for animals of the invention is characterized in that it comprises immobilizing a microorganism belonging to the genus Brachybacterium to a cloth or paper, and placing the cloth or paper in surroundings where animals live.
The microorganism belonging to the genus Brachybacterium using for the said methods for improving microorganism-environment harmful for animals is preferably the novel microorganism in the genus Brachybacterium mentioned above.